James Makin

That looks awesome! It makes a big difference to the front end and elevates it from looking just like a set of odd bulbs thrust through the cab front, amazing stuff!

That would be grim! Bachmann didn’t model the Wipac light cluster at all, with just the two directional bulbs poking through a flat space, so I’m thinking a proper 3D print Wipac cluster could just replace that bit entirely and save a bit of frustration there hopefully! 😂

Thanks ever so much for the kind words guys! Good question Steve! My locos mainly will be just pulling trains, so to do shunting with hoops could cause buffer locking - my plan is for the Didcot Yard and shunting stock to be equipped with something like the Spratt & Winkles at a later date. I've done some limited weathering jobs on '08' shunters in the past - a recreation of 08644 in IC Mainline colours for my very old Cornish layout, and a model of the black 'IEMD 01' that lived on Wells Green, but not much since. I'll 100% be doing some in due course however - I can't have a model of Didcot Yard without the obligatory residents of the time - BR Blue 08804 and 08904, amongst other visitors during the late '90s period. The kind of appearance would be visible from John Cordrey's shot, for example from Flickr of 08804 - 08804 Didcot Yard 09.05.1998 by John Cordrey, on Flickr Similarly-numbered 08904 also was active around this time, and captured in David Burrell's shot here - BR Class 08 08904 - Didcot by David Burrell, on Flickr These will be great fun to paint and weather! The existing base models from Bachmann and Hornby have been around an awful long while - suffice to say I don't think it's wise to start on an '08' weathering project at this time, but one day there'll be a need for a reliable set of shunters to power the yard! Haha, they will be entertaining! If only Bachmann had done the '165' they'd promised all those years ago, that would make life a lot easier too! Their 166 Turbo is definitely a good candidate for a fun few projects, wish we saw more of them about in model form, the stylish-looking beasties feel a little forgotten! Cheers, James

Thanks, that's not daft at all! I find the best results for me are to drill through the bufferbeam with a small Archimedes drill to allow a 0.45mm handrail wire to pass through - typically each hole will be under the inside of each buffer shank, to give a good width. Then, I'll bend up the 0.45mm brass handrail wire into the 'U' shape, and push into the bufferbeam. Finally, once pushed in enough, I'll then add some liquid superglue, and just leave it to dry. Once dry, the excess brass behind the bufferbeam can be trimmed slightly, and bent back round behind the bufferbeam out of the way, and then add a little more glue as required, it should then be a rock solid fitting! The wire hoops sometimes need a little height adjustment once you've got it back on rails, but the 0.45mm wire should be bendable enough to allow easily, and then it's on to the fun of fitting the screw couplings and bufferbeam pipework etc to complete! Cheers, James

Thanks ever so much Steve! I did wonder if everyone might get bored of the ‘47’s! I know it’s generally things like class 37s and 60s etc that seem to grab a lot of enthusiast attention but modelling the location and time period here, one can’t move for ‘Duffs’! Though having worried about boring viewers, just you guys wait until I get onto the ‘Thames Turbo’ DMU fleet 🤦‍♂️🤣

Sorry guys, it's the next instalment of the big 'Brushathon'! Whilst many might be pondering the merits of the new Bachmann vs Heljan 'Duffs', my recession-busting advice is to leave both and tart up the old cheap ones instead..! 😂 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Joining the possibly-monotonous but adorable fleet of '47's are former Railfreight Distribution examples 47236 Rover Group Quality Assured and 47286 Port of Liverpool, modelled in late 1998 condition. 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Both were based on Bachmann's classic 2013-release of 'Diamond Jubilee', stockpiled after once being knocked out by Rails of Sheffield for a mere £59.99 to clear, oh to return to the glory days! 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr As with all my others, the old branding was stripped away from the bodyshells using enamel thinners, given a coat of gloss varnish and new Railtec decals added, in with Fox's etched plates to complete. 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The fun weathering stage began in earnest, applying base coats of dark brown paint over the body, which was then wiped down with cotton buds and kitchen roll, to a background track of the superb Rose Gray. 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr After the initial paint was wiped away, then cotton buds laced in enamel thinners could be dragged vertically down the bodyshell to remove even more of the brown pigment - the desired end look was a generally clean appearance, but with some streaking and track grime. 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr More of the brown & dark grey paint residue was removed from the sides, leaving marks around areas such as the nameplates where rainwater has washed gathered dirt down the sides of the bodyshell, following prototype pictures for guidance. 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The final stage of the bodyshell weathering was adding the little extra marks - especially around where the Tinsley depot plaques used to be attached. Using a spare etched plaque as a guide marker, small amounts of brown and grey paint were dabbed on with fine brushes to recreate the ghosting on the bodyside - the more shades of paint, the more depth you can add! 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Down on the chassis, the Bachmann detailing parts were added, and a few pipes substituted for fine 0.45mm brass wire, where the original packs were robbed for previous loco projects..! Once sorted, the chassis were given a blowover in Phoenix Paint's brake dust and track dirt. 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr 47286 Port of Liverpool has been a long time coming, being a good one from back in my early trainspotting days! Starting life as D1988, the 'Brush 4' was delivered to British Rail's 52A Gateshead depot in February 1966, and seeing subsequent allocations at Tinsley, Leeds Holbeck and Bristol Bath Road during the '70s and '80s. As Sectorisation took hold, the machine would return to Tinsley as part of the Railfreight Distribution fleet, until closure of the depot and falling under the remit of EWS at Bescot. 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Small touches on the underframe included drybrushing with Humbrol Metalcote gunmetal. 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The nameplates were applied using matt varnish, giving hours of drying time and the benefit being that any excess is hidden under the final coating of matt varnish, sprayed across the entire bodyshell, and covering a multitude of sins! 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr There's so many fun 'Distribution' 47s, and with a big stack gently being drawn down on, I couldn't do just one more..! 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr 47236 Rover Group Quality Assured was always on the agenda to be modelled at one point - you might've guessed my love for giant nameplates, and there are few 'Duffs' that can match this ensemble of castings! 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr In contrast to 47286, this machine had a long time Welsh association, being delivered to BR as D1913 at 86A Cardiff Canton shed in October 1965, where it would remain allocated for over two decades, right through until transfer to Tinsley in 1987 to join the Railfreight Distribution fleet. 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Those marvellous nameplates would be inherited from sister machine 47323, which had carried them up until 1996 when reallocated to Freightliner. Whilst always being more of a Ford fan myself, one cannot fail to be impressed by those giant metal slabs with the iconic Rover and Land Rover logos! 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr At one end of each loco, my usual wire-loop coupling was added, allowing it to work with tension-lock fitted stock whilst retaining the full complement of bufferbeam detail. 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Meanwhile, up on the roof of each loco, washes of browns and greys had been applied to get dirt gathering in the grilles, before a dusting in Phoenix 'Roof Dirt', 'Dirty Black' and my custom mix of dark blue and black for the exhaust weathering. 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Other small weathering details include the greasy buffers, after having dusted each loco with the traffic grime via airbrush, these were then gently dabbed with a cotton bud that had been dipped in more gun metal paint, leaving a semi-shiny greasy splodge! 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Tracking what came of the beloved trainspotting locos of the period can be somewhat pot luck, but sadly these two didn't have the greatest fortune - having served almost 35 years a piece, both would be withdrawn from service by EWS in February 1999. 47286 would be swiftly cut up in September 2000, meanwhile the remains of 47236 would linger on until eventual cutting at Carnforth in November 2017. 47236 and 47286 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr I'm excited to eventually put both of these machines to work on the many automotive trains that passed through Didcot Parkway - bring on the Revolution 'Cartics' and of course the KSA Rover car-cubes! Cheers, James

On behalf of Worthing Model Railway Club, we are very excited to announce our next exhibition, taking place this September. After a year's break, we are set to put on one of the largest model railway shows that the club has ever undertaken, with a bumper crop of exhibits to see! Worthing Model Railway Club - Annual Exhibition 2024 Saturday 28th September 10.00am – 17.00pm Sunday 29th September 10.00am – 16.00pm Featuring layouts, traders & society stands. Full details will be uploaded once confirmed. Venue: Durrington High School, The Boulevard, Worthing, West Sussex, BN13 1LA Tickets: Adults: £6.00 each Accompanied Children go FREE Worthing MRC bring together a collection of model railways, traders and society stands at our annual exhibition, taking place in September 2024. Refreshments & catering will be available throughout the show. The event takes place at a spacious venue, and includes free parking and disabled-friendly access. The venue is approximately 10 minutes walk from Durrington-on-Sea railway station. Further details will appear here and online closer to the time, and keep an eye out for our all-new Worthing MRC website launching in due course - bookmark www.worthingmrc.co.uk in your browsers for when the page launches soon!

I'm loving mine so far, it is beautiful and that bright red is gorgeous! I'm taking it up the club tomorrow night to run on our (Worthing MRC) 'Loftus Road' layout, we're having a big 'Shed' off where a few members are keen to see what it's like compared to the older sound-fitted Hattons ones and some custom retro Bachmann models, it should be fun! I model at a glacial pace but I am sure it'll appear on my 1990s Workbench thread in a few months time (link in signature), ever so slightly weathered and settling-into-service condition for late 1998/early '99 period. When the normal EWS version (minus wingmirrors) is announced is when the squadron buying begins - the wallet is safe for a touch longer 😄 Cheers James

Just to show you can't please everyone, I actively remove cab lighting from all of my locos once they go 'through the works' - taking the circuit board right out to prevent anyone running them with the cab interior light on - just as the amount of times I've been operating the Club layout at shows and you come back from lunch break to find your mates have lit up the fleet like a Christmas tree! 😄

Happy egging weekend guys! Joining us today is a former Stratford 'white roof' celebrity, albeit one that's fallen on hard times... 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Modelled in 1998 condition, 47596 was a part of the former Rail express systems fleet, inherited by EWS at privatisation, and eeking out the remaining time left on the mainline network. 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The route to this locomotive was similar to my other Res examples, with the Bachmann 'refurbished' 47745 model being disassembled and 'de-furbished', to match the details of the real 47596, keeping the livery as intact as possible to make it a quick project. 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr This also meant stripping away the front-end multiple working jumpers and filling in the holes, with a repaint of Phoenix Paint's post-1985 warning panel yellow across each end. 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr One of the interesting tasks involved was a reverse of the 'Crewe-cut' cab, reinstating the bufferbeam cowling and lower cab sides, here with just a sliver of styrene strip, glued in and later filed down to match the body profile. Each entire cab side would then be given a coat of red, matched as near as possible to the Bachmann shade for consistency. 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The nameplates came away nicely with a little Humbrol enamel thinners on a cotton bud, working away gently and avoiding contact with the upper grey band. Other modifications glimpsed at the top of the picture include new circular plated boiler cover, and sanding down Bachmann's unwanted moulding marks on the cantrail and around the cab roof. Once finished, the model was given a coat of gloss varnish and decals could be applied, along with other Res locos being worked on at the same time...but spot the careless error..! 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Having painstakingly spent time lining up the individual numerals using Fox number decals on the cab sides, and being quite satisfied with the results, eagle-eyed viewers will notice that I'd actually applied them to the wrong locomotive - with them being put on the bodyshell for 47741, doh! 🤣 With the brain re-engaged, the decals were then put onto the correct bodyshell, and this was then given a coat of Railmatch matt varnish, and left to one side for a month until weathering could begin. 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr I won't bore everyone too much with the usual stages as per my previous posts, but layers of brown were added on, varying from almost-neat paint through to washes, then being wiped away vertically down the side of the bodyshell. 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The bright red then gave way to a more muted finish, and forming a basis onto which more detail painting could be applied such as little blemishes and marks seen on the real thing. 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Down on the chassis, the version with the full-cowling was used in place of the original chassis (donated to a different loco!) and the underframe with the battery-box-only variant was used - with the middle section removed from the Bachmann moulding to further open out the space under the loco. 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr A hoop coupling was added at one end, allowing it to work with tension-lock-fitted stock, and giving space for the full complement of bufferbeam pipework to be installed. 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr One really interesting feature about 47596 in its late 1990s guise is the wear and tear picked up - in particular on one side, heavy scarring that highlighted the positioning of the Aldeburgh Festival nameplate that it wore earlier in its life! A range of grey and brown shades were used to recreate this, being touched on by a 5/0 paintbrush. 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The locomotive has quite an interesting history - delivered new to 82A Bristol Bath Road depot in March 1966 as D1933, the Brush Type 4 would go on to see allocations at Bescot and Tinsley, before taking on the alias of 47255 under the TOPS renumbering, and seeing a strong association with the Eastern Region, being shedded at the likes of Gateshead, Leeds Holbeck, Stratford, York and Thornaby. 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr It would receive train heating equipment and a legendary Stratford white roof, before being adorned with the Aldeburgh Festival nameplates in 1984. As the decade drew on, it would find itself reallocated to Network SouthEast, powering the loco-hauled commuter trains out of Paddington until moved under the wing of the Parcels sector in 1990. 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The loco would continue on in service with EWS until withdrawal beckoned in May 1999, but happily, this machine would find itself a space in preservation, and can today be found at the Mid Norfolk Railway, united with its Aldeburgh Festival nameplates, and currently resplendent in original BR Green livery. 47596 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr It's always great fun to bring back locos from the past, especially the more average ones that might have a hidden history behind them, even if they're not a great looker at that point in time! A wide variety of freight workings now await the loco in due course! Cheers, James

I remember stinking out DEMU Showcase at Burton in 2006 doing a Limpet plastic bulging demo with a soldering iron, those were the days 😂 I’ve got a Dremel gas powered soldering iron these days and you can get effective results gently applying some heat and teasing out the bottom with various implements, but at the same time there’s a risk if you go too much it’s game over..! Limpets looking lovely so far Steve, great weathering. The leaf suspension can be gently chiselled off and replaced with the Bruninghaus spring mouldings or bodged with a scalpel if you’re feeling adventurous!

My first big show - Warley 1999! Amongst the layouts, the centrepiece was Pete Waterman's BR Blue Class 37 - 37029 - the everlasting memory being just how ridiculously large a locomotive is when viewed from ground level, blew my 13yr old mind at the time!

Haha thank you! I’d certainly love to do a Toton scrapline recreation with the fleet 🤣 I’ve always used the Phoenix post-85 warning panel yellow in all of my projects where yellow respraying is required, with the ones featured here they’ve all had full yellow panels repainted on top of a grey primer base to wipe out any trace of shades below, as annoyingly the old DB livery donors don’t have the yellow extending up the cab pillars, that would indeed be a nightmare to match in anything other than a full respray! Cheers, James

Time for some more Type 5s! 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The irresistible draw of a big T..! 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Joining the fleet today are Brush duo 60021 Pen-y-Ghent in unbranded grey and 60034 Carnedd Llewelyn in classic Transrail colours, modelled in late 1998 condition. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Bulking out the heavy freight contingent in the collection, these two locos will be ideal power for the frequent MGR coal trains and steel services on my Didcot Parkway layout. Based on some cut-price Hornby cast-offs, here is how it went... 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Despite the big jump in prices in recent years, with some digging it's possible to find bargains! This DB Schenker 60 donor came off eBay, the bogie side frames all broken up and details like the handrails, buffers and horns missing - a bit of a wreck, but a good basis for a renovation project! Similar to the last update, the base colours of each model were sanded back and new layers of primer and triple grey paint added on top, having dug out the old Badger airbrush for a few sessions. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr I took extra time to do the masking, which usually helps to pay off in a neater finish when peeling it all off, and any little ragged edges touched in with fine brushes - there's always something that needs doing usually! Once the layers of varnish are added, any little hand brush marks always disappear luckily! 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr One of the most fun parts of any loco project is adding on the decals and plates, and it starts to come to life - having applied a layer of gloss varnish over the paintwork, Railtec's Transrail decals are added, along with numbers and plates from Shawplan, before that all-important final layer of Railmatch matt varnish to lock it all in before the weathering could start. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Many will be familiar with this stage! It's a classic technique but the paint-on/wipe-off stage serves me well, the streaky effect is then up to you on how dirty your chosen prototype was during the era in which you're portraying it in. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Having wiped away the main paint, the residue is then knocked back with some enamel thinners on a cotton bud, to the recommended soundtrack of one of my favourite Ladytron albums, Velocifero - the lashings of synth and ice-cold vocals setting off those triple greys to a tee(!) 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Exhausting work of course - removed from the main body, each moulding is first painted brown before being mottled in a variety of darker browns or lighter greys as appropriate, with a smidgen of talcum powder to add a touch of texture to the finish. Next, the little detail-specific elements can be added using photographs for guidance on positioning and colour, including the ghosting of where the depot plaques used to sit under the secondman's area. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The outline of a spare depot plaque etch was used to mark out the area, and a range of light and medium browns were layered on using fine 5/0 brushes, following Flickr photos to match the effect on each side of the respective prototype loco being modelled. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr 60021 Pen-y-Ghent in all its glory! I've got to admit a certain love for the dull ones, as I've said before, these are the ones you'd most often see on a day's trainspotting - just an average loco at the time, and most often glimpsed on a dull or wet grey day at that! The chassis was weathered with a mix of Phoenix paints again - the brake dust and track dirt shades being sprayed on over the black base, before being topped off with some Humbrol Metalcote gun metal to highlight raised detail in certain places, and grey oily marks on key areas around the buffers, bogies and fuel tank spillages too. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr 60021 was delivered to BR's Trainload Metals at Thornaby in January 1991, before later allocations at Immingham in 1993 and eventually Toton in 1997, by then already well under EWS ownership. The loco lost its Trainload Metals logos around this time and would go on as one of many to operate for some years in this unbranded state. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Many will of course be familiar with its namesake, the 2,277 ft Yorkshire fell's name having been bestowed on old BR 'Peak' No. D8 from back in the day, before being chosen again as a subject for Railfreight's naming policy on the Class 60s - quite possibly the most attractive set of names allocated to any set of diesel locomotives in modern times. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The classic side-on view shows the giant expanse of plain triple grey - it's amazing how big a difference it makes by taking away the colourful sector logos, the slab sides being relieved only by light traffic weathering. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr One fun element on 60021 was the missing '0' in the running number at the No.1 end around the time of being modelled in 1998. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr The nameplates were secured with a splash of matt varnish, and lined up on the bodyshell using the position of the roof panels to dictate the location. Brian's Shawplan Extreme Etchings nameplates are incredibly good - the rendition of the cast BR Rail Alphabet lettering is crisp and beautiful! 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Each cab received a degree of detailing, with a driver and personal items modelled in the leading end, and window blinds put in - just offcuts of card secured with PVA glue, to avoid risk of damaging the plastic glazing. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Time for a splash of the bold! Transrail 'big T' 60034 Carnedd Llewelyn is certainly more of a looker and testament to Railtec for the crisp bright decals doing their work. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Similar to it's lower-numbered classmate, 60034 was also first delivered to BR's Trainload Metals at Thornaby, accepted into traffic just a month before, in December 1990. Having then spent several years as the backbone of the Cardiff Canton 'Metals' fleet, the machine would swap its blue & yellow chevrons for the 'Big T' branding in 1996 just prior to takeover by Wisconsin Central Railroad's new 'EW&S'. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Much as it would've been lovely to have modelled the Cardiff Canton 'goat' depot plaques, these were removed during mid 1998, and wanting to model the loco with the later 1998-onward electrification flashes, this meant however it could be replicated with just the rusty plaque marks instead. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Down at the No.2 end, I opted to fit brass wire loops on each of the locos, to enable the working with tension-lock coupler stock, and still retaining the full-depth front fairing and pipework. This is 0.45mm handrail wire, drilled into the chassis and wire bent round behind the bufferbeam for strength. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr At 3,491ft high, Carnedd Llewelyn is listed as the second highest point by relative height in Wales - and fine name for a locomotive class designed to move mountains! 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Up on the roof, each locomotive received firstly a paint-on/wipe-off treatment to highlight the panel lines, followed by a dusting of dark greys to represent the layers of dirt and exhaust grime built up around the exhaust silencers. 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr Since the period modelled, these locomotives have had a real chequered history! As many will know, 60021 has seen a second lease of life after retirement by DB - first moving to Colas and receiving their yellow, black & orange colours as Bustler, before seeing in a new image with GBRf, back as Pen-y-ghent in the now-legendary dark blue & orange. 60034 meanwhile would later lose one of its nameplates, and see its 'Big T' stickers disappear under the colourful EWS 'Zoo' logos, soldiering on in frontline service until 2008, before inevitable long-term storage in Toton Yard, along with the masses of other sidelined Brush Type 5s - who knows what the future could hold? 60021 and 60034 by James Makin by James Makin - Account 3, on Flickr I've very much enjoyed putting these together and can't wait to get these two going on some long coal and steel trains! Cheers, James